Very Vintage Vegas

How To Reproduce Decorative Concrete Blocks - A New Summertime Series

July 16th, 2009 Categories: Decorative Concrete Block Designs

I met Chris and Marilyn at a recent event at the Morelli House. They had just bought a very run down house on Hastings in the Alta Rancho Historic District. Now they’re regulular readers of VeryVintageVegas.

They’re wrapping up on the inside renovations and are planning to put up a decorative concrete block screen in the front of their home. Their favorite pattern, as it is with most people who I discuss the various blocks with is the “champaign bubbles”. But where to get them?

I get that question all the time. I don’t know. No one makes them any more. As I’ve mentioned previously, I get a call or an email once or more a week from people all over the country asking me if I carry this block or that one. Google is a wonderful thing sometimes. Other times – NOT. 

Since the champaign bubble blocks are nowhere to be found….Chris has decided to make his own!

He’d read that I had one in my collection, and asked if he could use it to get the proper dimensions. He came by this afternoon armed with every kind of measuring devise. Turns out he’s a retired mathematician, so we can count on them being precisely the right shape and size.

His next step is to cast a mold, so I loaned him my block to use as the the guide. He’s promised to let me photograph every step of the process. Oh, how I wish I had that much free time! This should be fun. Stay tuned and don’t touch that dial.   

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 3:40 pm and is filed under Decorative Concrete Block Designs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. zane d. said at July 16th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

   this should be interesting…I wonder what kind of material he is going to use..its not normal concrete like one would use to pour a sidewalk is it?

2. Jack said at July 16th, 2009 at 5:18 pm

   He’s got to figure out the proper formula. He was going to a cement place after he left me.

3. Jerry Gropp Architect AIA said at July 16th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

   uJ- I just love to see projects like this. This making of things is what I started doing as a kid (and still do). It served me well in all of these many years practicing residential architecture. Jerry

4. Judy Taylor said at July 16th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

   You GO, Chris! What a great project.
   I am a novice at construction and repair, but I wonder if concrete made with fly ash would work in this project? It was mentioned in Greening Your Home by Clayton Bennet as being cheaper and utimately stronger than regular concrete. What can I say–it was on the Clrk County Library Book List for April. Background material is at www.flyash.com

5. Kyle said at July 20th, 2009 at 3:28 pm

   I he figures out how to make a lot, I’m sure there are a lot of us in the neighborhoods who are willing to pay for some.

6. Heidi Swank said at July 27th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

   Fabulous project! And my favorite of all the Stone screen blocks.

7. Phil Galiano said at August 3rd, 2009 at 8:01 am

   I’m a retired Builder and General Contractor, Concrete specialist. In my second life, which started a few years ago, after some 55 years in the business, when I reached 70, I started a design hobby/studio.
   Concentrating on some of the ideas I dreamed up, while too busy earning a living, growing my construction business and generally creating wealth in Real Estate, to give sufficient time to develop those ideas into viable products.
   Now after two years of tinkering with some decorative block ideas, I’m perfecting some 12 different designs (and there could be more) of a non geometrical nature.
   These blocks, ( being larger that the standard: 12″x12″x4″ or 8″, or the 8″x16″ x4″ or 8″ ) will be 18″x18″ x 6″ modular and will each have a theme design:
   Ocean and water dwellers; land dwellers; floral & grass or a combination of sorts etc. My intention is to have two sided finished blocks, which will necessitate most probably hand casting as apposed to machine casting.
   I found this site while surfing the internet to see if there were any decorative blocks out there like what I was trying to create. So far no other blocks seem to come close.
   In my first life I must a have installed several hundred thousand blocks of the styles collected by Jack.
   Chris, you have undertaken a very difficult task that will require your upmost patience. Duplicating that block as a model from which a mold can be made (for a one side finished block) will require the knowledge of how those types of blocks were manufactured. You may want to visit a block plant to acquaint yourself with their operation.
   I have experience in that field also, having a close association with my local block plant as they progressed from hand made blocks to machine made to split face to tumbled blocks and who knows what will be the next move.
   The concrete mix that is used to make the block is not as critical as the mold design that you come up with, This particular block I believe required a two piece mold, but I could be wrong.
   There will be a lot of trial and error in order for you to succeed and I wish you all the best in your efforts. I will be watching for the photos and your reports. If there is anything you think I could help you with, or any questions you may have that you think I could answer please do not hesitate to email. Good luck!
   Design Galiano (Phil)

8. Dawn M. Peters, Mid century home owner said at September 4th, 2009 at 11:17 am

   Let me start by saying how much I love this website! I am the owner of a 1960’s home in Tampa Bay FL who would love to know where to get more of these decorative blocks for the exterior renovation of my home (you were right when you said google is no help here). We are trying to return our home back to the more original style that I grew up with in Miami. Can’t wait to see what happens!

9. Judith said at September 21st, 2009 at 7:57 am

   How such are the molds? or where can I buy the molds or block? upstate N.Y,

10. Phil Galiano said at October 7th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

    Judith, look up my website or send me an email direct. I can answer your questions.
    Phil

11. Jerry Gropp Architect AIA said at October 7th, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    uJack- As to making enjoying making things per my earlier comment (3) here’s a link to my new Seattle PI Blog: http://blog.seattlepi.com/northwestmodernhomes/

12. Phil Galiano said at November 4th, 2009 at 3:20 am

    Progress on decorative Block designs. Something NEW and different in Suncreen/Decorative Blocks.

13. Paul said at January 29th, 2010 at 9:25 am

    I am in desperate need of decorative concrete block (a few hundred blocks) for a Palm Springs MCM wall and have searched extensively to no real avail. I would be very interested in the bubble block. Can anyone provide an update as to whether this may be being manufactured by the gentleman above, or someone else? Thank you.

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